


loving you (was red like i've never known)

by incxndias



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, just some fluff to ease the angst, may turn it into something else later so bear with me, posting this because im waiting for the hogwarts au update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:07:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23299810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/incxndias/pseuds/incxndias
Summary: An odd feeling washed over Hope, one she hadn’t felt with Landon. It was a welcomed feeling, only odd in the sense of being unfamiliar.The past few weeks were some of the best and worst Hope had experienced. She rekindled her friendship with Saltzman twins, one of which talked her down from jumping into Malivore days ago, and she realized that Lizzie Saltzman only put up a front to ensure no one would make fun of her for her outbursts and breakdowns.But she also noticed Josie was genuine. With her words, her actions. Everything about the brunette was so different from her twin, and Hope realized that. She realized that Josie always put others before herself, selfless in a way Hope hadn’t seen before.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 8
Kudos: 172





	1. Chapter 1

The room sat cold and dark, the only light from the lamp sitting on her desk. She liked it this way; cold because she could curl up in her favorite sweater as she did her homework. There wasn’t much homework for her to complete that night, making her wish she could speed through the remaining five questions and close her eyes already. It was still early in the night but she had spent all day exhausting herself with training and classes to take her mind off everything that continued to happen to the school and the students inside. 

The protection spell Josie and Lizzie helped her place around the building could only do so much. 

She shook her head of the thought, threats no longer inside of the school and Malivore nearly defeated. They just needed to keep digging. They needed to find a way that didn’t include the impending darkness seeping into every inch of her soul as it had when The Necromancer left her in that horrid mind space. 

A light knock on the door brought Hope out of her thoughts, and she was partially grateful for the distraction. She did, however, wonder who would want to visit her at 9:30 in the evening. She only shrugged and ran a hand through her hair before setting her pencil down, turning the lamp off and the overhead light on, and finally opening the door. 

“Josie,” Hope smiled. The brunette had randomly stopped by a few times during the week to ask about borrowing a textbook or an extra pencil for the next day. It really had brightened Hope’s week, considering the recent loss of Landon in her life. 

He wasn’t dead, they had just found themselves losing feelings for each other. The stress and Hope helping with the safety of the school had been too much for the both of them. They made a mature decision based off of mature reasons, though both knew those reasons weren’t the only ones. 

“Hey, Hope,” Josie smiled tiredly, “still studying?” 

Hope had only then seen that Josie wore her pajamas, seemingly not caring that anyone else may have seen her. Most students were in their dorms by 8:30 despite curfew being 10:00. So it had sort of surprised the auburn haired teen to see Josie out this late. 

“Yeah, just doing some… light reading I guess,” Hope smiled softly.

“What class?” 

“History of Magic. It’s sort of easy for me considering my family lived through almost everything, but I know everything from their point of view which makes it a bit harder.” 

“I can only imagine,” Josie smiled sweetly, genuinely. 

Hope smiled back, her blue eyes connecting with tired brown ones. They stood like that for a moment, smiling and looking into each others’ eyes. An odd feeling washed over Hope, one she hadn’t felt with Landon. It was a welcomed feeling, only odd in the sense of being unfamiliar. 

The past few weeks were some of the best and worst Hope had experienced. She rekindled her friendship with Saltzman twins, one of which talked her down from jumping into Malivore days ago, and she realized that Lizzie Saltzman only put up a front to ensure no one would make fun of her for her outbursts and breakdowns. 

But she also noticed Josie was genuine. With her words, her actions. Everything about the brunette was so different from her twin, and Hope realized that. She realized that Josie always put others before herself, selfless in a way Hope hadn’t seen before. 

It made the pang of guilt become more prominent. She had been the reason Josie had been at her weakest point since her breakup with Penelope. The look on Josie’s face as she passed out, falling right into Hope’s arms. The rush in which Hope carried her with ease out to the car, tears she didn’t know she held threatening to spill. Seeing Lizzie sobbing into MG’s shoulder, MG holding everything in and trying to be strong for Lizze’s sake. 

“Hope? You there?” Josie’s light voice filled her ears, the small grin on the brunette’s face enough to make Hope’s heart skip a beat. 

“Yeah, yeah. Just thinking. Um, do you want to come in?” Hope side stepped and opened the door a bit more. 

“Oh, no it’s fine. I just stopped by to make sure you were okay with everything that happened the other day. I know the past week or so has been a lot to unpack.” 

“I’m fine, Jo. No need to worry. There hasn’t been another attack since then and as long you and everyone else in the school are safe, I’m definitely doing just fine.” Hope leaned against the door, a reassuring look taking place over the soft gaze she previously had. 

It had only been a week since Josie admitted her past feelings, admitted to burning down her dorm room and the only painting she had ever done with her dad. Hope couldn’t be mad at the brunette though, it proved nearly impossible for her to be mad at Josie Saltzman. 

Josie suddenly let out a big yawn, covering it with her arm. 

Hope found the action quite adorable. Only Josie could make a yawn adorable, she thought. 

“I’m sorry. Excuse me. I’m just a bit tired,” she said, a hint of worry in her voice, maybe thinking she had embarrassed herself for whatever reason. 

“It’s okay Josie, everyone yawns,” Hope couldn’t help but let out a low and quiet laugh, attempting not to wake her dorm neighbors. 

The way the red crept up Josie’s cheeks made her smile grow bigger, causing Josie to break eye contact purposely, having only broken it one other time; when she yawned. 

“Well, you should probably get upstairs before you pass out right here. Not that I would mind, but I’m sure your sister would have a cow,” Hope winked. It was nearly 10:00 p.m. and she decided being a little flirtatious wouldn’t hurt. 

“Lizzie would probably tear the whole school apart first, and then look for me,” Josie laughed softly, the growing blush on her cheeks an indicator of her seeing the wink. 

“Do you want me to walk you?” 

“No, I’ll be fine. Don’t be surprised if you see me asleep on the stairs tomorrow morning, though,” the brunette teased. 

“Don’t worry, I’d carry you to the room if I had to. The sixth graders are ruthless when it comes to the stairs. Wouldn’t want that beautiful face of yours getting trampled by kids who wear a size four shoe,” she winked again, liking the reaction it got out of the taller girl. 

Josie rolled her eyes, blush still evident on her features, “Whatever. I’m going to go now. Bye, Hope.” Josie waved before stepping out of the doorway and making her way down the hall to the stairs that led to the third floor. 

“Bye, Jo,” Hope quietly called after her before shutting her door and releasing a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. 

“What the fuck is she doing to you, Mikaelson?” She muttered. 

The main reasons she broke up with Landon were mature. At least that’s what they told themselves. The underlying factors, however, played a bigger part in it. 

Hope Mikaelson realized her feelings for Josette Saltzman days before the brunette had confessed. 

Maybe, Hope thought, fate had pulled them apart to bring them back together for a reason. It may have been wishful thinking, but part of her hoped it wasn’t. 

  
  


∞∞∞

  
  


Lunch came quickly the next day, her morning classes seemingly shorter than normal. She awaited the inevitability of her afternoon classes dragging on, but decided to focus on the blue lunch tray and food sitting in front of her. 

“Hey, Hope,” MG said, his usual happy yet chill self, “how goes it?” 

Hope couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that, “It’s going okay. It’s been hell trying to catch up after the past few weeks though.” 

“Yeah, I bet. You ever need any help I got you,” he nods towards her with a huge smile that only he seemed capable of. 

“Thanks, MG.” 

“Anytime.” 

Landon then came and sat down across from MG, attempting to avoid eye contact with Hope. They had agreed to be friends, but she could tell he wasn’t entirely over it. It pained Hope just a bit, though she knew she had done the right thing. It wouldn’t be fair to him if she harbored feelings for someone else while they were dating. 

He understood that. For the most part. 

Lizzie came next and sat down next to Landon, “What’s up, losers?” She greeted. The small smile on her face became enough to give away she was only playing. They had all grown close, but Hope and Lizzie had almost become like bestfriends since the spring break trip. 

Hope and all of their friends were the only ones who could see through Lizzie’s exterior, except maybe Landon. He still became scared when Lizzie had one of her moments, and didn’t always understand when she was joking with the nicknames and such. The rest of them understood though, and surprisingly Lizzie had opened herself up to them piece by piece. 

Kaleb plopped himself down on the other side of Hope, giving a small nod before sitting and paying attention to some conversation their friends had started. The auburn haired girl had gotten lost in thought, thinking about how much progress they had made since her near death experience at Triad. 

_ The rescuer had become the one needing to be rescued. Irony at its finest. Her dry humor hadn’t really been helping the situation, but Landon had been dead on the floor a few feet away from her and she had Clarke right where she wanted him. She really didn’t need to think any longer. If she wanted to save her friends, what was left of her family, she needed to jump. Into the mud pit. Into Malivore. The only way to calm the bubbling mud pit would be the blood that flowed through her veins. The blood of a tribrid. _

_ The railing beneath her hands felt cold as she sat with her feet swung over, ready to jump into the pit if needed. Maybe there was another loophole. Maybe.  _

_ Clarke sat next to her, not saying a word and only looking down at his inevitable fate. The pole beneath her feet felt slick, as if it wanted her to jump to her death. Her erasure from the minds of those she loved and those she had only just grown fond of.  _

_ She took in a deep breath as she stood on the railing and prepared herself to jump, Clarke following her every movement. Her knees were shaky and her hands felt sweaty but she only shook her head as determination filled her. Her parents would’ve done it for her, she had to do it to protect the people she loved.  _

_ She hadn’t heard the footsteps and fighting that filled the hallways or the grunts of her vampire, witch, and werewolf friends fighting against the Triad guards. She hadn’t heard the gunshot, or the faint gasp of Lizzie Saltzman. She hadn’t heard Alaric yelling at MG to get Lizzie out of the building, telling Kaleb and Raf to make sure the guards were all handcuffed to poles or desks so they couldn’t come after them.  _

_ She hadn’t heard any of the commotion until the door to her left opened and Alaric and Josie Saltzman came stumbling through, Josie with a bullet wound in her chest, just above her heart. Hope could see the effects of the bullet, the poison inside slowly spreading.  _

_ Hope met the brunette’s eyes. The brown eyes that she couldn’t say no to. The brown eyes she had looked into so many times and felt a rush of something unexplainable. They were tired now, drowsy and almost entirely glossed over.  _

_ “Josie.” The name came out as barely a whisper, the amount of pain that washed over her became too much, and she let the tears that had been threatening her since she snapped Landon’s neck fall.  _

_ “Hope, please don’t. We need you. We need you to come back with us and help us figure out another loophole,” the girl dragged her words, and though her eyes were tired, they held worry and fear mixed with a sadness Hope could only pray she wasn’t causing.  _

_ “Josie, I have to. What if there’s no other loophole?”  _

_ “There is. We just need to find it. There’s no way I’m going back to sc… school,” Josie swallowed roughly, Alaric quickly coming to her side, “without you.”  _

_ The sight of Josie weak and vulnerable more so than usual left an unsettling feeling within Hope. It felt like her heart shattered. Like it had when she snapped Landon’s neck several minutes ago, only worse.  _

_ Now her heart left her no choice. No choice between jumping or saving Josie.  _

_ How could she jump when Josie stood in front of her, dying?  _

The loud thump of a tray slamming down on the table made Hope come back from her memory. She had felt guilty for the longest time. She felt like she was the reason Josie had gotten shot. The reason they were all there in the first place; to make sure she didn’t do something as stupid as sacrificing herself like she almost had. 

She was met with the kind face of the girl that had risked her life for hers, the face that could brighten anyone’s day whether it held a pout or a grin. 

Today it held a bit of both, and Hope could only wonder what was running through the brunette’s mind as they made eye contact. The guilt had come rushing back for Hope, but she suppressed it, knowing Josie would only tell her that it wasn’t her fault, that it was a choice for all of them to go. They knew the risks, and they went anyway. 

The corner of Hope’s mouth quirked up into a small smile, Josie’s expression following somewhat of the same action. The only thing different had been the growing red on the brunette’s cheeks, though not noticeable to anyone who wasn’t looking for it. 

She would live for Josette Saltzman, but she would also die for her. She realized that the night they were driving back to Salvatore and Josie had laid her head on her shoulder as she rested after having just been healed from the mud bullet. 

The way Josie had buried her nose into the dip between her neck and shoulder, perfectly fitting. Or the way she would wake up every so often to make sure Hope was comfortable before drifting back off to sleep. 

Now, the way Hope looked at Josie was different. Everyone with eyes could see it. The realization of the tribrid’s feelings for the oblivious siphoner had brought about a welcomed change in the atmosphere throughout their friend group and between the two girls themselves. 

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Hope grinned. 

No matter how many times Hope had seen Josie’s cheeks rosy with a recurring blush, she could never grow tired of it. The brunette held that kind of power. Hope hadn’t realized it before now, but her feelings for Josie had been real since they were young. Her smile and, “You had a crush on me?” after the brunette had admitted to her crush when they were younger were evidence of that. 

No one had thought to read deeply into it though, they just thought Hope was flattered. Of course she was, who wouldn’t be? 

Hope hadn’t touched her food once during lunch and hadn’t realized the stares she had gotten from the rest of the table members before she stood up to put her tray away, figuring the table could make and continue conversation without her as they normally had. 

She only stayed when Josie reached across the table and grabbed her arm, staring at her with sparkling brown eyes and blushing cheeks, and whispered, “Stay,” almost inaudibly. 

Hope swallowed hard, though the contact wasn’t skin to skin it still made her heart beat faster than it should have. It made the question of how she had gotten over Landon so quickly answerable. 

∞∞∞

Three insistent knocks sounded at her door and Hope groaned as she lifted the covers off of her and slowly got out of bed. She looked at her pajamas, presentable enough for whoever decided to show up at her door at 8:00 on a Saturday morning. She practically stomped over to the door and opened it, saw a very angry looking Lizzie Saltzman, and closed it again. 

“Hope Andrea Mikaelson, open the door!” She heard the blonde practically shout. 

Hope stood shocked before she opened the door again, her mouth still ajar. 

“Okay, how do you even know my middle name? And why the hell did you use it? I can’t believe you middle named me!” 

“You deserve it,” Lizzie smiled mischievously. 

“What the fuck did I do this time?” Hope turned away from the door to grab her hair brush that sat on her nightstand. 

Lizzie stepped into the room and closed the door behind her so their conversation wouldn’t be heard by the prying ears of Hope’s dorm neighbors. 

“Being so fucking oblivious, that’s what.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lizzie,” Hope continued brushing the knots out of her hair. 

“My lord, the both of you couldn’t be more obvious. Honestly, it’s kind of sickening how y’all look at each other with these big doe eyes and mushy smiles. Oh, and the blush!” Lizzie threw her hands up as she continued on. 

“I don’t blu-!” 

Lizzie cut her off with a threatening glare, “Yes you do.” 

Hope only sighed in defeat as she laid back down on her bed, falling on her back and staring up at the ceiling. 

“Did you just come here to tell me how much of a gay mess I am for your sister?” 

“Yes. Partially. And don’t pretend you aren’t. I saw you at lunch last week. Stay, Josie said. Stay, Hope did,” the blonde attempted an impression of… honestly Hope didn’t even know, but it was amusing so she just let it happen. 

“That’s not what happened,” Hope scoffed and rolled her eyes. 

“That is exactly what happened!” 

“Name your witnesses!” 

“Kaleb, Rafael, MG,” Lizzie counted them on her fingers, near naming their whole lunch table before Hope jumped up and covered the blonde’s mouth with her hand. 

“Oh, shut up before Kaleb and MG hear you and come to tease me too. That’s not what I need right now. Also, lunch was lunch and I hadn’t finished all my food yet anyway,” Hope crossed her arms, now standing in front of Lizzie. 

“Whatever, Wolfie,” the blonde rolled her eyes at her friend’s antics. 

Hope only huffed and ran a finger through her hair, “What do you suggest I do, Liz? She’s your sister. I’m surprised you haven’t given me the damn shovel talk.” 

“You really think that lowly of me? I expect you to know that if you hurt my sister, even though you’re my best friend, I’ll make sure your life is a living hell,” Lizzie smiled sweetly. 

“Yeah, I knew that part of course. But to be fair, you did come into my room at ten o’clock the night Josie confessed and went on and on about how I better not hurt her and how you should have realized because, and I quote, “You’re Hope Mikaleson, who wouldn’t have a crush on you?”” Hope made exaggerated hand movements as she tried to mimic Lizzie’s rant. 

“All’s fair in the game of trying to protect my twin sister,” Lizzie shrugged. 

“Yeah, yeah I know. Just maybe next time wait until the morning. But not eight o’clock because it’s so fucking early and I really don’t understad how you’re up and this peppy in the morning.” 

“Oh yes. Right. That. You’re taking Josie on an unexpected morning breakfast picnic in the woods by the lake after she wakes up,” the smile on the blonde’s face grew bigger. 

The shock returned to Hope’s face, “Elizabeth Saltzman, you did not.” 

“Oh, but my dear Hope Mikaelson, I did,” she wiggled her eyebrows, “be ready in twenty!” 

Lizzie then turned and walked out the door, ignoring the calls of her name from a bewildered Hope Mikaelson. 

∞∞∞

Hope nervously waited out by the beginning of the path into the woods. Lizzie had said Josie would meet her there, but what if she didn’t? What if she hadn’t felt good or just didn’t want to get out of bed that morning? 

Hope weighed her options of either waiting for a few more minutes or heading back to the main building of the school. Her stomach growled like crazy, and that had been enough to make her wait a few more minutes for the brunette. Well, that and the inevitable wrath she would face if Lizzie had somehow found out she walked away from the surprise date she had worked so hard on setting up for, apparently, the two most oblivious people she knew. 

After a minute or two longer of anxiously looking around, Hope heard footsteps approaching. Before she could do anything about it, her eyes instantly changed from their warm blue color to a beautiful yet threatening gold. 

“Hope?” The voice sounded innocent, not scared, but slightly startled. 

She instantly recognized it as Josie’s, the way she said the other girl’s name giving it away. 

“Josie,” Hope sighed a breath of relief, “I’m sorry. I know I was expecting you but it just got a little bit late and I didn’t know if you would actually come or not considering it’s a Saturday, and I know that Saturdays are sleep in days,” she ranted. 

Josie’s smile grew as she listened to Hope go on. She had never seen the normally fearless girl this nervous before. It was definitely a sight she would cherish for as long as she could. 

“Hope, it’s okay,” Josie laughed lightly, “I wasn’t scared. I know it’s normal for a wolf to be on the lookout for any threats. Especially an alpha. It’s fine.” 

“How did you… ?” Hope tilted her head to the side. How did Josie know she was an alpha? She hadn’t challenged Raf or Jed before. 

“You may not be the alpha of the school’s pack, but they’re scared of you. They respect you. Most of them. Practically the only reason they don’t cower in your presence is because you and Raf are friends. Otherwise, they’d probably scurry away or bow down to you. It’d be interesting to see which one.” Josie shrugged. “Also, I remember you mentioning something about..” Josie trailed off, stopping herself before she said anything Hope didn’t want to hear. 

“It’s okay, Jo. You can say it,” Hope smiled sweetly at the brunette, nodding towards her to let her know it was okay. 

Josie only nodded before continuing, “You mentioned your mom was an alpha, and your dad was too. It just makes sense that you would be one as well.” 

“Well, you’re right,” Hope kept her smile, “I am an alpha, but I don’t necessarily have a pack of my own. My mother’s pack doesn’t want me because I’m a tribrid and the wolves here have their entire faction figured out, so I’m on my own.” She could see the solemn look on Josie’s face, probably not too happy about her being alone through everything. “But it’s not all that bad, I promise,” Hope finished with an encouraging smile. 

Josie nodded and Hope held out a hand, “Now, I believe we have an early morning surprise to get to.” 

Josie took Hope’s hand and let her lead them down the path both of them had taken too many times before. The tall trees made either girl feel protected, but having Hope here made it feel that much safer to Josie. 

They walked blindly hand in hand, making small talk as they went on. It wasn’t awkward but rather comforting. Hope listened intently about the interesting day Josie had yesterday, thinking she could hear the girl go on and on about the most boring topic in the world and wouldn’t ever be annoyed. The dock was just up ahead so Hope stopped walking and turned to face Josie. She had to look up at the taller girl, but thanked whatever higher power that she chose to wear her heeled boots instead of her everyday shoes. 

“Close your eyes,” Hope grinned. 

Josie’s face became a mix of excitement and wonder, “Why?” 

“Because I want to see the look on your face the exact moment you see it,” Hope said eagerly. 

“Why don’t you just stare at it some more then, Mikaelson?” Josie smirked, becoming confident after she had seen the blubbering mess she made the normally collected girl become. 

“Maybe in your dreams, Saltzman. Oh, and I’m supposed to be the smooth one here, Jo!” 

“You’ve been a blubbering mess this whole time,” Josie laughed and put her hands up in surrender. 

“Whatever. Just close your eyes,” Hope rolled her own before letting out a small laugh as well. 

Josie complied and held her hands out to let Hope lead her where she needed to go. 

“I trust you enough to tell me when there’s a tree,” Josie said softly, her smile even softer. 

“Don’t worry, I got you Josie,” Hope carefully lead her towards the dock, telling her to take a step up when they reached it. “Okay, open your eyes.” 

Josie opened her eyes anxiously. They immediately widened at the sight of the picnic basket and blanket sitting on top of the wooden dock. 

Hope had been slightly shocked too, wondering when her blonde friend had found the time to put this all together. 

“Wow, Lizzie really knows how to set up a picnic, huh?” Josie laughed lightly. 

“Yeah, she does. What gave away that it was her who set it up?” Hope gestured towards the blanket, letting Josie know that she could sit. Hope followed right after her. 

“The note she left on my nightstand. She made a good effort, but it was too easy to tell it was her handwriting,” Josie smiled. 

“Well, I am really glad that Lizzie burst into my room at eight in the morning today, especially if it means I get to spend time with the one and only Josette Saltzman herself,” Hope grabbed one of the two glasses and filled them up with the sparkling water the blonde had left in the basket. 

Josie let herself blush but looked away to try and hide it, only looking back up when Hope handed her the glass, “Thank you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope refuses to become the school pack’s alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, back with an update! It’s kind of late here, and I haven’t really been getting a whole lot of sleep so it may not make a whole load of sense, but hope you enjoy! We know we need it after Thursday’s episode.

“No, Raf,” Hope sighed heavily. 

She had been on her way to Josie’s room so she could walk the girl to class (definitely not daydreaming about her, because Hope Andrea Mikaelson does not daydream), but Rafael had rudely interrupted. 

“C’mon Hope. All of the wolves respect you. Hell, some of them would bow down to you,” he pushed. 

“Rafael. I can’t, okay? It wouldn’t matter anyway. The natural order was already messed up enough the day I was born, I don’t need it messed up even more,” Hope held her books tightly as she turned to face Rafael, trying not to show her irritation. 

“Nobody here cares about that, Hope. I haven’t given two fucks about the natural order since it took my girlfriend away from me. And it almost took Lan away from me too. So, I say fuck the natural order.” 

“Landon can die and come back to life, Raf. He’s screwed with natural order more than I have.” 

“Just,” the taller boy sighed, “think about it? You’re the only one that can turn willingly. It’d help a lot if you would at least be there for the next full moon to help some of the newbies.” 

“Hope?” A quiet voice at the end of the hallway sounded. 

Hope turned and Rafael looked up. 

“Hey, Jo,” the tribrid smiled. 

“Sorry, you uh, you didn’t meet in our normal spot so I got worried.” 

“Rafael just had a question, I’ll be there in a second.” 

Josie nodded with a small smile and tried to look as if she was minding her business. She ignored the odd look that Rafael gave the brunette, but Hope noticed, and it only made her more irritated. 

“Just think about it,” he said before walking towards his class. 

Hope only shook her head before turning and putting on a smile for Josie, who smiled back. The brunette was tempted to ask what Rafael had wanted, but she decided against it, not wanting to pry. 

“Never a boring day at the Salvatore School, huh?” Josie said with a small laugh. 

“Yeah, I guess there isn’t. If it’s not the vampires and wolves in an argument, it’s Lizzie creating a big scene or a monster attack.” 

“Well, luckily we’ve been monster free for about three days now. I’m enjoying that as much as I can,” Hope lets a small smile escape her. 

“You should be. You’re always the one swooping in to save everyone else. You deserve a break,” the brunette mentioned before they stopped right outside of the classroom door. 

Hope looked up at her with a playful smile, “Don’t act like you don’t jump in and help too,” she laughed. 

“You do way more than I do.” 

“Okay, but you’ve saved my ass multiple times.” 

Josie only gave her a pointed look, “You’ve saved me more times than I can count, Hope.” 

Hope’s face grew serious as she took a step closer to Josie, resting her hand on the girl’s cheek while staring into her eyes, “You saved me when it mattered most.” 

Josie leaned into the shorter girl’s hand and smiled gently. They stayed like that for a moment, frozen still and just staring at each other until the bell rang to tell them to get inside the classroom. 

“Ew! Get a room,” Lizzie made a gagging noise as the two stepped into the room. 

“You set it up, Lizzie. This was your doing,” Hope reminded her. 

“Um, no it wasn’t. This is completely all you two. I just gave you both a little push because you are both utterly oblivious. You would think that having Rebekah Mikaelson as an aunt would do you some good!” The blonde huffed her frustrations as Josie took the seat next to her and Hope took her normal seat in the back of the room. 

“Don’t forget that I also have Freya as an aunt. I think I inherited all of my obliviousness from her. She tortured Keelin before she realized she had feelings for her! It took them years to get married!” Hope exclaimed, trying to defend her actions. 

“If you ever torture me, Hope, you won’t live to see another day,” Josie said sweetly, but with her eyes narrowed into a mischievous sort of look. 

“I believe you, Jo. Also, I would never. But don’t forget, I’ll turn into a vampire once you kill me.” 

“Like I said, you won’t live to see another day,” Josie winked at the tribrid and it made the shorter girl wonder what the brunette planned to do if the situation ever occurred. She let it go though, opting to never find out. 

“Mikaelson, if you hurt my sister, you’ll have more to worry about than death,” Lizzie’s smile matched Josie’s from moments ago, and if Hope hadn’t been all that threatened by Josie, she was certainly very threatened by Lizzie. There was no telling the lengths the blonde would go to for her sister. 

“Yo! Why isn’t the teacher here yet?” A boy from the front of the classroom yelled. 

“I don’t know Brock, maybe he caught some of your fleas,” another boy from the pack teased. 

“Dude! I shampooed and conditioned this morning!” Brock seemed offended as he swatted at the guy. 

“Oh, is that what that smell was? I thought my grandma came for a visit.” The obviously older wolf laughed as he kept Brock from hitting him. 

Josie, Lizzie, and Hope watched the wolves from their seats. Josie had to admit that she never really liked when the wolves got riled up. It wasn’t fun to see, and she had no idea how they fought each other for fun. Lizzie just sat next to her, bored with the whole exchange. Hope stayed still in the back of the room, debating whether or not to go sit next to the twins, just in case the wolves ended up getting out of hand. The redhead knew how sensitive some could be, especially new wolves like Brock, when they haven’t learned how to control their anger issues. 

“That’s it!” Brock yelled. His eyes shifted from brown to gold and he pushed the older wolf off of the desk he had been sitting on. Brock snarled, and the other wolf did so in return too. The rest of the pack had ganged up on Brock, and all that could be heard were growls and snarls. They started to fight each other, and before the girls could react, a chair was sent flying through the air. 

Hope had been frozen still in her spot, remembering her conversation with Rafael earlier. She bit her lip and contemplated her next actions. Her thought process wasn’t quick enough, however, because when she looked up, she heard the faint gasp that came from Josie’s lips and her eyes brought her to the brunette laying on the floor of the classroom next to a snarling stil-human wolf. The guy had gotten back up, leaving Josie passed out on the floor with Lizzie next to her trying to get her to wake up. The blonde screamed curses at the pack, but none of them heard her over the fighting. 

Hope only saw flashes of red as her eyes shifted from their normal blue hue to the gold of her wolf. She had no time to think, her body just did as her wolf told it. Her bones cracked, but they did so quickly and before Hope knew what she was doing, she threw herself forward in front of the twins, in front of Josie, with a loud snarl and a low growl. 

Everyone stopped. It seemed like time had frozen still as Hope stalked forward, keeping her snarl. Her eyes kept gold and challenging. She was daring one of them to move, to throw something or someone. None of them accepted the dare, too taken aback by the wolf in front of them that had only moments ago been the quiet tribrid in the back of the room. All of them put their hands up and got to their knees, as if they were submitting to her. They knew none of them could beat her if they tried. And they all respected her too much to dare do something as stupid as challenge the wolf in front of them. 

In the background, Lizzie held Josie in her arms as she waited for her sister to regain consciousness. She watched the whole exchange with worry and awe, finding it a bit funny that all it took for Hope to lash out was Josie getting hit by a flying pencil sharpener. And an out of control wolf coming within three feet of her. She knew now wasn’t the time, but damn, she could appreciate her work. 

After a few moments, Josie started to stir awake. Hope had still been in wolf form and her gaze hadn’t left the pack. She had to get her message across and this was the only way she knew how. 

If any of them so much as looked at Josie the wrong way there would be consequences. 

Hope let out one last growl before backing up slowly and turning to where Lizzie and Josie still sat. The brunette had slowly come to and had been staring at the wolf in front of her since. She had looked around the room half expecting to find Hope sitting at her desk, though part of her knew that the girl stood in front of her as a wolf. 

“Hope?” The name barely left the brunette’s lips as a whisper. 

Golden eyes met brown, and Josie moved away from Lizzie slightly. 

Part of Hope was relieved that Josie was okay and another part screamed at her to go over to the girl and make sure she didn’t over expend herself too much. It told her that it was too soon for Josie to move as much as she had. 

Hope made her way over to the brunette and let out a quiet whimper, suddenly wishing she was in human form so she could speak because she knew Lizzie was never going to let her live that down. She carefully nudged Josie’s arm with her nose. 

Josie brought up her hand and gently ran it through Hope’s fur. Their eyes locked once more and Josie, for the first time, saw the worry placed beneath relief. She let out a breath before she whispered. 

“It’s alright, Hope. I’m okay.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! I didn’t proof read it, so if you found any mistakes feel free to point them out. Feedback is much appreciated! I know this is done in most Hosie fics, but I love it so I just to add in overprotective wolf Hope. I know this chapter was short, but I promise I’ll try and make the next one longer! Hope you are all staying safe!


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